Our maritime connectivity service keeps vessels - and the people and devices onboard online - as they travel around the world
24 March 2023

Our maritime connectivity service keeps vessels - and the people and devices onboard online - as they travel around the world

24 March 2023

Earlier this week we announced our new partnership with Faroese Telecom which provides global and maritime connectivity to fishermen – and local connectivity in the Faroe Islands for Telecom26’s customers.

Maritime connectivity for vessels of all sizes from leisure yachts, fishing boats, container ships and other vessels - and the devices, crew and passengers on-board, is one of Telecom26’s core competencies.  We also provide connectivity to inland ports and rivers as shipping companies that need connectivity on-land as well as maritime connectivity to monitor their freight as it moves out of and into a port.

Our new maritime connectivity partnership with Faroese Telecom provides a number of new benefits for the customers of both companies including:

  • Telecom26’s customers with Global SIM cards will now be able to access the networks of Faroese Telecom as part of their service package.
  • Faroese Telecom’s customers (prepaid and post paid) are now able to use Telecom26’s global mobile and maritime connectivity networks when they are abroad without incurring additional roaming charges.
  • Faroese Telecom is also able to offer maritime connectivity to fishing boats and other sailing vessels wherever they are in the world using Telecom26’s global and maritime connectivity networks. This is achieved by installing a mobile GSM network on board. Faroese Telecom customers can use their existing data and voice allowances on the Telecom26 network without paying any additional costs for maritime roaming.

Maritime connectivity - and Telecom26

As a global operator, Telecom26 has a wide range of global and maritime connectivity solutions for vehicles and vessels of all shapes and sizes, commercial and leisure - and the people and containers that they are transporting.

Our maritime connectivity services include:

  • A full Cellular At Sea service for vessels of all sizes
  • A Nearshore Connectivity Service - This blog “Nearshore Connectivity - perfect for vessels up to 30km off the coast”discusses how most ships and vessels spend the majority (up to 60%) of their time in port or in coastal waters. They are therefore within range of land-based cellular networks which can provide coverage to vessels as far out as 30km. So, instead of relying on costly satellite for data or connectivity, vessels – and the people on-board - can use these cellular networks.
  • Networks for personal communications, onboard. You can read more about this here: Mobile Private Networks for Cruise Ships and the Merchant Navy
  • A Maritime IoT Service including private networks on-board vessels, oil rigs and platforms – and supply chain tracking

Our global and maritime connectivity services offer:

  • Our own network core and operational assets leveraging relationships with more than 1100 network connections and 650 mobile operators across over 200 countries to secure unrivalled global coverage.
  • A full range of telecom services and connectivity options including 5G (where available), LTE-M, WiFi, private networks, 2G, 3G and 4G, as well as satellite and offshore connectivity capabilities.

At the heart of our maritime connectivity and global connectivity services are our Global eSIM and physical SIM cards.  These provide data to all onboard devices.  By onboard devices we mean routers, container sensors, IoT networks, any system process that needs to connect to the internet, to a remote server or monitor – as well as the phones and devices of the crew and people on-board.

Our Global eSIM and physical SIMs can access most terrestrial and maritime networks. Not all networks are equally available – some offer better coverage in some locations than others. And, every country has its own range of terrestrial network operators. This means that, as a vessel is on its journey, different networks may be available.

Our global connectivity and maritime connectivity experts have also written a number of interesting blogs over the past few months including:

Catching up with our global connectivity and maritime connectivity teams

Later in the year will be announcing new partnerships with satellite connectivity providers.
We are in discussions with providers of GSM connectivity over Low Earth Orbit to fill in coverage gaps both on land and at sea offering an alternative to other very expensive satellite networks.

In addition, the expansion of Telecom26’s 5G capabilities will help improve maritime connectivity of the people and devices on-board vessels of all sizes.

If you’d like to arrange a call to discuss how our maritime connectivity and global connectivity services can connect the people and devices on-board your vessels as they travel around the world then please get in touch.
Ready to talk?

We are here to help!
Let us know how we can help your project.